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“Aaah!” The lookout screams as Roksana’s arrow hits its target. Jacobus’ dart whistles a few inches away from the bandit. Serolt’s arrow also misses, just like Kryolani’s acid dart.
---
The lookout pulls out of his pocket a strange-looking stone and throws it at you. One second after, the stone impacts against the floor and creates a deafening bang. “” shouts out the lookout. No one seems to arrive though. At least not yet.
---
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Roksana
• Jacobus
• Serolt
• Reknar
• Kryolani
•
______________________________________
— 7/9[/dice]
BOOM!!!
The loud was deafening, like thunder but much closer. The inquisitor was momentarily shocked and then confused when everything went silent.
He wondered if this was his curse for letting go a known bandit, but he thought about this only for a moment. If it was a curse, he would figure out a way to remove it or live with it. Live was what he intended.
He moved closer to the sentry tower and spoke a command, hoping the bandit would enact it rather quickly. "Approach!" But Jacobus never heard anything. He made sure his mace was within reach.
Kryolani winced as the thunderstone detonated. There had to be other bandits hiding in this storm, and they'd be here any moment. He wasn't having the least bit of luck hitting the lookout, so instead he decides to step forwards and ready a Ray of Enfeeblement for the woman with the axes, should she show her face in the downpour.
Cold Iron Arrows = 37/40
Conditions = None
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Serolt twists his lip and bites it as he makes his next shot, hoping for the best against his only visible foe.
He grins as his shot finds it's mark - and a solid hit at that! If only all his shots could be this skilled...
Round 3
Hearing Jacobus command the bandit to approach and recognizing it as some sort of spell, Roksana moves up and prepares to attack the man if he follows his instructions.
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Serolt’s arrow hits the bandit in his belly and the man collapses on the wooden platform, even before being able to carry out Jacobus’ command.
---
No more bandits seem to come at you although the alarm has been raised for quite a long time now.
---
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Roksana
• Jacobus
• Serolt
• Reknar
• Kryolani
•
______________________________________
— -2/9 (stable)
Jacobus slapped his ears a couple of times to no avail. He made sure to near Rok and with exaggerated gestures told her,
He then prepared to join battle.
Cold Iron Arrows = 36/40
Conditions = None
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Serolt mouths an apology to Jacobus, Sorry about that! as he moves forward toward the camp (move action).
If he sees anyone, he shoots, otherwise, he readies to shoot the next available bandit should they move across his field of fire.
Kryolani hunches his shoulders against the cold and the rain, and looks around. "They wouldn't have left without warning their lookout. Any bets they try to ambush us?" he asks, while moving back into the dubious cover of the underbrush.
Round 3
Roksana advances cautiously, watching and listening for any sort of movement, ready to strike at the first sign of attack.
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There’s a strange silence around you. The bandits are nowhere to be seen yet. A few seconds pass, and suddenly, an arrow is fired from behind a fallen trunk. The arrow hits Roksana, lodging in her leg. Simultaneously, a dagger is thrown at Serolt, lodging in his back and missing his heart by only a few inches. Having spotted a bandit while he was firing an arrow at Roksana, Serolt tries to hit him with his longbow, but his arrow misses the target.
---
Everyone can see a woman who appears to be matching the description of the bandits’ boss you were given. She has just thrown a dagger at Serolt, and is now smirking cruelly. Also, all of you can see the bandit who has left his cover behind the fallen trunk to fire an arrow at Roksana. In addition, there’s another bandit ducked behind the same fallen trunk, but only Jacobus and Kryolani can see him. Finally, there’s another bandit hidden behind a standing tree in a patch of vegetation, but only Jacobus and Serolt can see him.
---
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Roksana
• Jacobus
•
•
•
• Serolt
•
• Kryolani
•
______________________________________
— 9/9
— 9/9
— 9/9
— 17/17
Seeing the deep wound on Serolt's side, the inquisitor quickly laid a hand on his friend. The area was soon infused in golden light and most of the wound was removed, only leaving bloody scar.
He turned to his friend, "Now, shoot the b!!+@!"
[dice=Concealment]1d100
[dice=Concealment]1d100
Round 4
Roksana stifles a shout as the arrow pierces her leg. Shrugging off the pain she rushes forward toward the bandit hiding behind the fallen tree (), hoping to pay someone back for the pain she was in.
Round: 4
Cold Iron Arrows = 36/40
Conditions = focused on axe-woman
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Slammed by the dagger, Serolt grimaces just as the healing hands wash over him. ”Thanks Jacobus, I needed that!”
He turns to his new found enemy, and focuses his ire upon her!*
He then shoots her, knowing it’s her or him. There is no other way.
(rain, point blank, focus) (point blank, focus)
And yet again, the tricks of the fight get into Serolt's head, and his aim is wild.
The stars see all! Perhaps fighting with a bow is not my ideal path... he begins to question himself.
Kryolani, torn between the bandit leader, and her pile of lackeys that Roksana seems determined to take out herself, decides to split the difference. He rushes beneath the tree limbs till he's close enough to cast a necromantic bolt of energy at the bandit leader. Then, before he even sees the results, he turns peer through the sheeting rain at the other bandits, planning his support of the half-orc...
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Roksana is able to knock the bandit down with a single, powerful hit. Jacobus heals Serolt successfully.
---
One of the bandits behind the tree trunk shows up and fires an arrow at Roksana, who was not aware of his presence. He does so with great accuracy, but the dim-light plays a trick on him and his arrow misses.
---
Kressle throws another dagger, this time aiming for Jacobus. The man’s armor does his job in protecting him from the dagger though. Everyone except for Jacobus can hear the woman hiss and curse you before moving away.
---
Serolt tries to hit the woman with an arrow, but she’s fast and nimble, and ducks the arrow.
---
Another bandit shows up from behind a tree trunk and fires an arrow at Roksana. This time the half-orc manages to react at the last second and ducks readily, avoiding the arrow.
---
Everyone can see a woman who appears to be matching the description of the bandits’ boss you were given. She has just thrown a dagger at Serolt, and is now smirking cruelly. Also, all of you can see the bandit who has left his cover behind the fallen trunk to fire an arrow at Roksana. In addition, there’s another bandit ducked behind the same fallen trunk, but only Jacobus and Kryolani can see him. Finally, there’s another bandit hidden behind a standing tree in a patch of vegetation, but only Jacobus and Serolt can see him.
---
Kryolani hits the woman with his ray of necromantic energy! She struggles over, weakened, but keeps moving.
---
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Roksana
• Jacobus
•
•
•
• Serolt
•
• Kryolani
•
______________________________________
— 9/9
Conditions —
— 9/9
Conditions —
— -4/9
Conditions — Stable
— 17/17
Conditions — 6 points of Strenght damage
Happy that his armor deflected the dagger, Jacobus points to the hidden bandit and screams in a voice he cannot hear,
hemoves to help out Rok who was by herself on that side. He then picks up his crossbow and shoots the bandit.
As Kryolani runs up to the pile of criminal scum, arcane syllables slither from his lips, his hands spark, and flames rush out to pour across the terrain. The woods are wildly lit for a brief instant by flickering shadows.
Round: 5
Cold Iron Arrows = 34/40
Conditions = focused on axe-woman
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Serolt closes in, a bit, and shoots her again through the rain.
(rain, point blank, focus) (point blank, focus)
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Roksana moves forward and brings down her warhammer on the bandit , but the scoundrel is ready and he dodges Roksana’s blow with relative ease. A moment after, Jacobus hits the bandit hidden behind a patch of green. The bolt lodges into the man’s chest. “Darn it!”, screams the bandit in frustration, his words turning into a bloody gurgle.
---
One of the bandits , the one Roksana has just missed, drops his longbow and draws his short sword. To the cry of “For the Stag Lord!” he throws himself at Roksana, trying to thrust forward and stick his short sword in the half-orc’s belly. Roksana steps back and intercepts the lunge.
---
Kressle moves forward to engage Serolt in melee, drawing a well-made handaxe as she proceeds. Although weakened by Kryolani’s spell, the woman brings down he handaxe with an astonishing accuracy on Serolt’s neck. Thankfully, Serolt manage to move his neck at the last second to prevent the woman from slicing his carotid. “Die!”, screams the woman with a manic tone in her voice, almost as if she was having fun.
---
Serolt steps back and tries to hit the woman with an arrow again: this time, his shot is accurate and hits the woman in her chest. The woman spits blood. “F@#$ you, moron!”, she mumbles as blood flows out of her mouth and she holds the bad wound Serolt has caused to her with her free hand.
---
Another bandit drops his longbow and engages Jacobus in melee wielding a short sword. “Now you’ll pay!”, the man cries out, as he lunges, but Jacobus just needs to step back in order to avoid the bandit’s inaccurate strike. One second after, a burst of flame invests the bandit. When the flames are gone, the man is still standing, his skin partially burnt. Shaky and staggering, he’s hardly able to stand.
---
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Roksana
• Jacobus
•
•
•
• Serolt
•
• Kryolani
•
______________________________________
— 0/9
Conditions — Staggered
— 9/9
Conditions —
— -4/9
Conditions — Stable
— 5/17
Conditions — 6 points of Strenght damage
Round: 6
Cold Iron Arrows = 33/40
Conditions = focused on axe-woman
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Serolt staggers backward as the blow cuts him deeply (5' step). "That my dear, was unpleasant."
He looks over his shoulder, "Jacobus! I could really use a hand here!"
Then he lines up and shoots the hand axe wielding crazy woman one more time… It’s her or me!
(rain, point blank, focus) (point blank, focus)
Round 6
Roksana swings again at the bandit in front of her, hoping to line up a better hit this time though she's a bit distracted by Serolt's call for help. She tries to lock eyes with Jacobus.
"Go. Help. Serolt." She mouths as clearly as she can.
Kryolani, not knowing if Jacobus is going to get the message in time, scrambles back to where Serolt is duking it out with the psychotic axe lady. Again, the lizard words of a magic tongue pour out of his mouth, and another gout of fire washes through the air, turning raindrops into steam.
Roksana swings again at the bandit in front of her, hoping to line up a better hit this time though she's a bit distracted by Serolt's call for help. She tries to lock eyes with Jacobus.
"Go. Help. Serolt." She mouths as clearly as she can.
Jacobus nods in understanding; things here seemed under control.
He yells back at Rok,
He then steps away from the groggy bandit and cast a spell at the bandit leader.
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Roksana swings at the bandit in front of her , knocking him down with a single blow.
Jacobus fails to cast his spell.
---
“I will kill you all, but not today”, hisses Kressle as she tries to run away.
---
Although the woman is very far away now, and despite the heavy rain and the cover granted her by the trees, Serolt manage to accomplish an incredible deed. He shoots his bow upward, and his arrow slowly descends on the woman, knocking her down and putting an end to her flee attempt.
---
The last bandit standing drops his short sword and kneels. “I surrender! I surrender! Please have mercy...” he whines.
---
______________________________________
— 0/9
Conditions — Staggered
— -1/9
Conditions — Stable
— -4/9
Conditions — Stable
— -7/17
Conditions — 6 points of Strenght damage, dying
After you’ve dealt with the bandits, there are now several choices to be made.
Regardless of your choices, when you will search for treasure in the Thorn Ford Camp, read the following spoiler:
Roksana nods to her bleeding leg, which looks worse than it is with the rain taking on the red hue of her blood as it pools in the dirt.
"Why do we owe you any mercy?" As she speaks she walks toward the remaining bandit and kicks his sword away then pulls him to his feet and shoves him forward, toward the rest of her companions.
She looks toward the two she knocked out and grunts, wondering if they're going to add to their body count so soon after the last fight.
When the bandit answers her, she listens carefully, judging whether or not he seems sincere and deserving of mercy.
"Listen", says the bandit with a resolute expression, "I'm badly wounded but I think I'll survive if you let me go". He's a very young boy (he can be 16 years old) with wiry and medium-lenght black hairs and a scar on his left eyebrow. "I'm smart enough to realize that you're here for a purpose. No one has ever dared to threaten us. But there you are. I know you want to defeat the Stag Lord's bandits, otherwise you wouldn't have come here and risk your life just for the sake of defeating us. What do you want? Our riches? They're yours already. Our men? I can swear on my honor that I will serve you until my last breath if you spare my life. Our camp? It's yours. My information? I have plenty, and I'm willing to share them with you if you promise to spare my life when this will be over", says the boy. He's an eloquent one, or so it seems.
__________________________
Kryolani narrows his eyes and peers at the young man. "Your honor? You've got bravery enough, I will grant you that. You've yet to demonstrate that you possess honor. However..." he turns to look at the others, "we're presented with the same conundrum as last time. Information and service for a life, and this time no urgency pressing us onwards. I think we need to know everything we can about the Stag Lord, whoever he is. I vote we accept, but before that, I vote we gather all this stuff up, and get the hells out of this rain."
Serolt grimaces at his injuries as the rain falls and washes the blood away. The Stag Lord? That can't be good, he thinks as he walks toward his prey.
When he reaches Kressle, if she still breathes, he puts an arrow to her neck and shoots.
Satisfied, he grabs her arm, hoists her up, and carries the body back with the others. He throws it down in front of the boy.
"You're lucky we're a forgiving group. So tell us about the Stag Lord, and leave nothing out." he says simply.
Kryolani listens closely to the boy, while he goes to the remaining bandits, checks them for breath and, if they live, cutting their throats. Those looking closely might see his hands tremble, but his gaze is firm.
Jacobus nods in agreement as most prisoners are executed. Prisoners sounded bad; these were men that tried to kill them, never their prisoners.
He palms his ears again until they are red and asks whoever was close enough to listen,
Not understanding completely what is going on but getting the overall picture, Jacobus neared the boy.
Jacobus smiles at his companions. The Swordlords had chosen well.
He turns to Serolt,
He takes out one of the liquor bottles, then quickly added, "but only a little..."
"I won't say anything unless you promise me to let me go once I've told you everything I know about our lord and his minions", says the boy. The fact that you've killed his former companions in front of him has broken his resolute attitude, but still he tries to get a formal promise of mercy on your part. "I appeal to the second River Freedom: Oathbreakers Die" he says, spitting blood as he concludes.
Roksana raises an eyebrow at the bow and shakes her head.
"That will only save you if you haven't also made an oath to The Stag Lord. Otherwise I'll be compelled to kill you were you stand if I think you're lying. And I'll tell you now I'm not inclined to belive most of what you say, so it better be convincing, if it is, I'll let your go, on my honor."
If Roksana believes the information is good she offers to let the young man go, and even tells him the name of her old superior in the Blue Dogs, hoping he'll choose a mercenary life over banditry.
Missing the nuances of the conversation more than he cared to admit, the inquisitor still paid close attention to what was going on.
Jacobus gathered the bandits' loot and packed his horse. He was happy that the buzzing in his ears had given way to pain too many slaps? and he was actually starting to hear things.
"Abadar be praised. A deaf trader would surely be at a disadvantage."
He looked at the others, "Are we going straight back to Oleg's or take a detour to help Svetlana?"
"Your offer was of service till your last breath. We won't take that, it's too long, at your age. A year and a day would be more appropriate. So long as you keep your word, you'll have our mercy. You lie to us? You run? That will break your parole, and you'll swing," he looks down at the broken, bleeding corpses strewn throughout the clearing, "so to speak. What's your name?"
Kryolani turns to speak under his breath to the others, "There might still be a chance for this boy to turn into something other than this. I'd like to keep an eye on him for a while."
"Let's drop him off at Oleg's. He could use an extra pair of hands around the place for a bit."
"Why not go ahead and get some of those Moon Radishes while we're out? No time like the present!"
Serolt is agreeable with whatever plan the party comes to for the boy. He prefers letting him go, and not bringing him with, but whatever works out is fine.
Serolt grins assent and says little during the boys interrogation. He worries a little about what's next with this Stag Lord. Who have we just pissed off?
"Well, with all this gear," he gestures to the crates of furs, "We're going to be walking our horses. I'm fine with that for a few days as we hunt around for the Radishes, but it does make us a bit slower."
"I think we should leave tomorrow though. I'm still quite wounded, and would rather not use one of these fine potions unless I have to. Jacobus, can you help me in the morning?"
"I think we should leave tomorrow though. I'm still quite wounded, and would rather not use one of these fine potions unless I have to. Jacobus, can you help me in the morning?"
Jacobus understands once Serolt points to his wounds.
"Yes, I can help you tomorrow with magic but maybe tonight I can help with bandaging and patch you up some. I'm no nurse but I think I can manage."
Then he remembered, "But not here. We can't stay here. Didn't the man at Oleg said that there were a dozen bandits in the camp?" Always quick with numbers, he looked about; "We haven't killed eight here so there are more missing and maybe coming back later."
He shrugged his shoulders, "No, we can't stay here. It's not safe."
"Agreed, but let's stay close. If any bandits do show up, we should jump them by surprise. If any do show, my first action will be to drink one of the healing potions." he grins.
He looks for a reasonable place to camp near enough that they'd hear someone come back in the night, but far enough off the trail that they won't be easily discovered.
“Name’s Rob. Rob Fangberry” says the guys introducing himself. “I suppose you want to know more about him than me though, so I’ll skip right to the point. Our boss is a monster of a man. Calls himself the Stag Lord. He’s a deadeye with the bow, and I saw him crush a prisoner’s hand to mush in one fist. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him without his creepy stag helmet on— some of my friends think he ain’t got no face under it, but not me—I think that creepy helm is his face!”. The guy wets his lips and ensues: “It’s hard keeping track of who’s working for the boss, so we use a master phrase as a sort of password to get in to the fort on the northeast shore of the Tuskwater. Unless it’s been changed recently, the current phrase is, ‘By the Bloody Bones of St. Gilmorg, who wants to know?’ And no, I have no idea who ‘St. Gilmorg’ is.”.
The boy shakes his head and bites his lips: “The Stag Lord is a bloody drunk. All that booze under the platform’s for him. He's half of what he used to be, and ain’t never been right in the head. A few weeks ago he punched my horse for spittin' in the yard. Personally, I wouldn't care if he dropped dead tomorrow, but even drunk out of his mind he's still got a fair amount of fight to him.” Rob stares at you for a moment, as if he was assessing you chances against his former boss: “He keeps a strange old man locked up in the basement. I suspect the old guy might actually be running the show, using the Stag Lord as a puppet, you know. I got a look into the old guy’s eyes once, and it terrified me. He ain't someone I'd want to cross.”
Apparently, the guy has concluded his speech: “That’s all I know” he says nodding.
---
---
When you’re done questioning Rob, Serolt finds a good shelter to stay, not too far from the camp but not even too close to it. You spend the rest of the night there, tying Rob to a tree with a rope along with your horses. You alternate in watch duties during the uneventful night.
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— Moonday, Pharast the 6th, 4610 AR
— Morning
— Thorn Ford Camp
— Cloudy and cold
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You wake up shaking from the cold that has stretched his bony fingers on the Narlmarches. A cold breeze sweeps over the forest.
_________________________________
Serolt would have been opposed to tying up Rob overnight, particularly if we plan to release him.
1) Let him go free.
2) Yes, just to double check it in the morning in case someone slipped by us in the night.
3) Svetlana didn't suggest a direction. Do I think the radishes are best found in the forest, along the edge of the forest, or in the plains?
Also, do we know where the Tuskwater is?
1)Roksana also is willing to let him go, keeping the offer to refer him to her old mercenary captain as posted above and would also be unwilling to tie him up since the group is likely keeping watch anyway.
2) What Serolt said.
3)Svetlana said the radishes could be found 16 miles South of the trading post. Though I don't recall how many miles we traveled, we did go south to get here. Roksana would prefer to ride back and rest after looking for the radishes.
Jacobus woke up and stretched. He went through his morning ritual asking Abadar for sound judgement in the days to come. He hadn't been here for more than a couple of days and more than a handful of people had died.
He turned to the others, "So, do you think we're going to regret letting these bandits go?"
He inspected Serolt's wound. With a hand full of golden light, he passed that on to the ranger. His wound healed leaving only a small scar as a telltale sign of the violence.
"How's everyone else? I have a little more healing magic this day if needed?"
Kryolani, washing his hands in a bucket of water from the nearby creek, shakes his head at Jacobus, "I know I won't. We're in a bad place right now, where the only real punishment we can leverage is death, and we've no good way to be sure if it's deserved. Oh it probably is, I'll grant you that, but I'll not kill a person on a probably if I can help it. It might come back to bite us in the ass, but I won't regret it. That being said, we should assume the thugs that work for this 'Stag Lord' have heard of us by now, and will be ready for it when we come for them."
Kryolani looks at the rest of them, "Yeah, let the kid go free. Maybe he will take up Rok's offer to join a mercenary company. Stranger things have happened. Let's try for the radishes quick and then head back to Oleg's."
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— Moonday, Pharast the 6th, 4610 AR
— Morning
— Thorn Ford Camp
— Cloudy and cold
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After waking up, you quickly reach the Thorn Ford Camp.
_________________________________
The inquisitor smiles as his hearing is almost back to normal. While there's still a little ringing going on, it was great to actually hear people talk.
Jacobus yields to his betters with regards to tracking but states the obvious, "Easy to see four humanoids going south. A few hours ago. We probably lost them. I think we should head back up to Oleg's."
He shrugs, "We can look for those radishes on our way back as well, right?"
The inquisitor tidies up his horse, making sure to put extra padding on his seat. "How's everyone's rear end holding up to riding?"